cushion of flechettes.
Gaz signaled Toren to reach their position. When the short heavy-worlder arrived, Gaz said, “Toren, you cover the right corridor and waste any fucker who comes through. Me and the new guy will clear the left.”
“You got it, Gaz.”
Gaz looked to Victor. “You got point, new guy.”
Victor nodded. He wasn’t pleased to be the point man but neither would he argue about it. He took a calming breath and moved up the corridor, handhold to handhold, keeping his big revolver pointed in front of him.
He checked around the corner and saw no one. Sending the clear signal, he covered Gaz while he moved up ahead. Gaz then signaled Victor to move up.
After looking around another corner, Victor saw a closed hatch. “I’ve got a closed hatch here.”
“Comin’ up,” Gaz said. When he arrived, he handed Victor a cone-shaped breaching charge. “Put that on the latch. I’ll cover you.”
Victor floated up the hatch, pulled the adhesive strip off the bottom of the charge, and placed it where Gaz told him to.
He then kicked himself off the hatch as hard as he could and made his way around the corner behind Gaz.
“Fire in the hole!” Gaz said, pressing the detonator.
A deafening bang erupted from around the corridor, and then Gaz grabbed Victor, said, “In ya go!” and threw him toward the open hatch.
Victor flew through the broken hatch into what looked like a galley. It was full of smoke and floating debris from the blast, along with three dazed pirates. They were all armed.
Victor aimed his revolver at one of them and fired two shots, both going wide. The light recoil of the gun put him in a slow spin.
Luckily for Victor, the pirates didn’t return fire until he reached the hatch on the opposite side and pulled himself into cover. Bullets tore into the bulkhead he hid behind.
As they did, Gaz appeared and fired a full-auto burst from his pistol, bracing himself with his free hand.
The gunfire coming Victor's way stopped, and he pulled himself around the corner and emptied his revolver, not so much aiming as simply throwing fast-moving metal in the direction of the pirates.
When his gun clicked on an empty chamber, all three pirates were floating lifelessly in the galley. Victor was pretty sure he didn’t hit any of them. Gaz floated over to him, replacing the magazine of his machine pistol.
“You make a good decoy, new guy.”
Victor sneered at the pit fighter. “Fuck you, Gaz.”
Gaz gave Victor a spike-toothed smile. “Hey, you lived! And we still have the rest of this tub to clear.” He opened the hatch behind Victor and called on the radio. “T, the way is clear.”
Toren arrived with his assault rifle. “We done yet?”
“Not yet. We still got the bridge to deal with up ahead. That’s where they’ll make their last stand. New guy—”
“Take point, got it,” Victor said. He ejected his revolver’s spent cylinder, letting it float away as he put in a fresh one.
Gaz nodded. “Get to it.”
Victor moved through the galley, careful not to blunder into any more blood. He didn’t look forward to cleaning what he already had smeared over his suit. Boarding a hostile ship was a dirty business. He reached the hatch to the bridge and found it locked.
Gaz and Toren floated up behind him and placed their breaching charges over the latch and hinges of the hatch. Backing away, they detonated the charges and blew the hatch in. Victor didn’t wait to be thrown in, like last time; he went in the instant after the charges blew.
He flew through the smoke, blind at first. But when he reached a console, he pulled himself behind it and used it for cover. Peeking over, his revolver trained forward, he saw five pirates, none of them in armor, holding their hands up, their discarded weapons floating from reach.
“Gaz, they’re surrendering,” Victor said.
“They are? Well, ain’t that nice.” Gaz floated onto the bridge, followed by Toren. “You know what to do.”
“I
Gaz signaled Toren to reach their position. When the short heavy-worlder arrived, Gaz said, “Toren, you cover the right corridor and waste any fucker who comes through. Me and the new guy will clear the left.”
“You got it, Gaz.”
Gaz looked to Victor. “You got point, new guy.”
Victor nodded. He wasn’t pleased to be the point man but neither would he argue about it. He took a calming breath and moved up the corridor, handhold to handhold, keeping his big revolver pointed in front of him.
He checked around the corner and saw no one. Sending the clear signal, he covered Gaz while he moved up ahead. Gaz then signaled Victor to move up.
After looking around another corner, Victor saw a closed hatch. “I’ve got a closed hatch here.”
“Comin’ up,” Gaz said. When he arrived, he handed Victor a cone-shaped breaching charge. “Put that on the latch. I’ll cover you.”
Victor floated up the hatch, pulled the adhesive strip off the bottom of the charge, and placed it where Gaz told him to.
He then kicked himself off the hatch as hard as he could and made his way around the corner behind Gaz.
“Fire in the hole!” Gaz said, pressing the detonator.
A deafening bang erupted from around the corridor, and then Gaz grabbed Victor, said, “In ya go!” and threw him toward the open hatch.
Victor flew through the broken hatch into what looked like a galley. It was full of smoke and floating debris from the blast, along with three dazed pirates. They were all armed.
Victor aimed his revolver at one of them and fired two shots, both going wide. The light recoil of the gun put him in a slow spin.
Luckily for Victor, the pirates didn’t return fire until he reached the hatch on the opposite side and pulled himself into cover. Bullets tore into the bulkhead he hid behind.
As they did, Gaz appeared and fired a full-auto burst from his pistol, bracing himself with his free hand.
The gunfire coming Victor's way stopped, and he pulled himself around the corner and emptied his revolver, not so much aiming as simply throwing fast-moving metal in the direction of the pirates.
When his gun clicked on an empty chamber, all three pirates were floating lifelessly in the galley. Victor was pretty sure he didn’t hit any of them. Gaz floated over to him, replacing the magazine of his machine pistol.
“You make a good decoy, new guy.”
Victor sneered at the pit fighter. “Fuck you, Gaz.”
Gaz gave Victor a spike-toothed smile. “Hey, you lived! And we still have the rest of this tub to clear.” He opened the hatch behind Victor and called on the radio. “T, the way is clear.”
Toren arrived with his assault rifle. “We done yet?”
“Not yet. We still got the bridge to deal with up ahead. That’s where they’ll make their last stand. New guy—”
“Take point, got it,” Victor said. He ejected his revolver’s spent cylinder, letting it float away as he put in a fresh one.
Gaz nodded. “Get to it.”
Victor moved through the galley, careful not to blunder into any more blood. He didn’t look forward to cleaning what he already had smeared over his suit. Boarding a hostile ship was a dirty business. He reached the hatch to the bridge and found it locked.
Gaz and Toren floated up behind him and placed their breaching charges over the latch and hinges of the hatch. Backing away, they detonated the charges and blew the hatch in. Victor didn’t wait to be thrown in, like last time; he went in the instant after the charges blew.
He flew through the smoke, blind at first. But when he reached a console, he pulled himself behind it and used it for cover. Peeking over, his revolver trained forward, he saw five pirates, none of them in armor, holding their hands up, their discarded weapons floating from reach.
“Gaz, they’re surrendering,” Victor said.
“They are? Well, ain’t that nice.” Gaz floated onto the bridge, followed by Toren. “You know what to do.”
“I
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